Day
1 Lima
Morning free. Afternoon private guided half day city tour. |
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Day
2 Lima
Today visit the Gold Museum, exhibiting an extraordinary
sample of prehistoric metalwork as well as the world's
largest weapons collection and the exquisite Larco Herrera
Museum, boasting the world's largest collection of pre-Columbian
ceramics including a basement of witty erotic sculptures. |
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Day
3 Lima - Cusco (Urubamba Valley)
In the morning leave for Cusco. One hour flight.
Arrive in Cusco and drive with private car and guide to the
Urubamba Valley (1 ½ hr drive), the Sacred Valley of
the Incas, one of the most beautiful areas of this mountain
region.
Hotel Pakaritampu or Sol y Luna.
3 nights |
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| Urubamba:
(9,351 feet on average) Located 48 miles (78 Km) away
from Cusco . The center of the Sacred Valley, this was
an agricultural pre-Hispanic site. This fertile and beautiful
area offers the opportunity to stop and make several excursions
to local villages and to get used to the altitude. |
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Day
4 Pisac Market
Full day visit to the colorful Sunday Pisac and Chincheros
Market where all the people from the neighborhood villages
come with their typical costumes to sell, to buy and to
socialize. |
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| Pisac:
Picturesque town located 19.8 miles (32 Km) away from
Cusco and about 1 hour by car. Its handicraft market is
famous as well as its irrigation system, Inca astronomical
observatory and irrigation terraces. |
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Day
5 Ruins of Ollantantaybo
Full day private guided visit to the massive Fortress of Ollantantaybo
and the Salt Mines of Marais. |
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We
drive out of the Sacred Valley. During the 45 minute ride
we have an impressive view of the snowcapped Vilcanota
mountains. The driver drops us off at the ruins of Moray.
Our guide will take us down into these ruins and explain
their function. It is said that the ancient agricultural
terraces of circular and concentric shape, which were
built by the Incas, were used as a seed-producing area
for the principal crops of the empire: maize and potato.
We start walking towards the town of Maras through the
countryside, surrounded now by farmlands and the occasional
local habitat. The view of the mountain ranges never fades
away. The path we take is mostly flat.
Once we get to Maras there are several things to see and
visit. We have the opportunity to go to a local puba 'Chicheria'
where they brew the famous corn beer. The local tools,
which are made of stone and were used for food preparation,
can be found in the houses. Influenced by the Spanish
conquerors some of the doorposts are in colonial style
and beautifully worked. We will rest and have lunch.
Near the salt pans we take a trail used by the local inhabitants
to move their cattle, and also by those who transport
the salt from the pans to Maras by donkey. This walk takes
about 2 hours. (optional)
Upon arrival we will spend some time so our guide can
explain how the salt-draining process works. We might
even have the chance to try making salt ourselves.
Our descent into the Sacred Valley starts off on a narrow
path, and we need to walk cautiously. We may spot the
Cara cara, a typical Andean mountain bird and a member
of the falcon family. The path, which runs alongside a
gorge, takes us down to the Urubamba River. On our side
is the brook which also runs through the saltpans. Because
of its high salt content, it turns the earth on its banks
white. Other birds we might spot while we approach the
river are the Andean gull and the hummingbird. |
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Day
6 Urubamba Valley - Machu Picchu
Early in the morning you will be transferred to the Ollanta
Train Station for your one and a half hour ride to Aguas
Calientes, where you will board the bus for your 'switch
back' road to Machu Picchu.
Upon arrival check in at the Machu
Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, the only hotel next to
the ruins. Or stay the at the Aguas
Calientes Hotel at the base of Machu Pichu.
Afternoon private guided tour of the ruins.
Enjoy the sunset as well as the sunrise which is usually
spectacular even with rain as there are always dramatic
cloud formations over the Andes. |
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Day
7 Machu Picchu - Cusco
In the early morning you can hike to the Sun Gate, with magnificent
views of Machu Picchu.
Afernoon return to Cusco by train. Monasterio
or Novohotel.
Day 8 Cusco
Morning free to acclimatize to the altitude
In the afternoon half day private tour of Cusco. In this capital
of the Incan Empire you will visit the old center of the city
as well as the nearby archaeological ruins.
Day 9 Cusco - Manu Lodge
Tour
Early pick up by our Manu Lodge representative. |
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| Manu
is considered the most important rainforest park in the
world offering the fabled city of Cusco and the mythical
Inca citadel of Machu Picchu as its gateway. About half
the size of Switzerland, Manu protects an entire virgin
watershed from Andean grasslands at 12,000 ft. down to
elfin forests, and cloud forests, to the vast lowlands
at 1,000 ft. above sea level. |
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Day
10 Manu Lodge Tour
6 day/5 night Manu Cloud Forest Lodge & Manu Lodge Tour
Day 11 Manu Lodge - Puerto
Maldonado - Lima
Leave Puerto Maldonado to Lima.
Late transfer to the airport for your international departure. |
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Machu
Picchu Birding Extension
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It
offers a chance to visit the impressive Inca site of Machu
Picchu, to wander amongst the most remarkable stone ruins
in the world, and also to bird the Urubamba Valley. At
a marsh and lake just outside Cuzco we will see many Andean
water birds, including Puna Ibis, Yellow-billed Pintail,
Speckled Teal, and Many-colored Rush-Tyrant. |
The
tour begins with a visit to Lago Huaparcay. Birds are
numerous and relatively easy to see at Laguna Huaparcay
(elevation of about 10,500 ft.) and in the surrounding
arid hills. This is an excellent location to look for
the spectacular Bearded Mountaineer, a hummingbird endemic
to Peru; Black-tailed and Green-tailed trainbearers are
seen here occasionally as well. With a picnic lunch in
tow, we will continue down the Urubamba Valley, watching
for Red-backed Hawk, Andean Gull (along the river), Andean
Swift, and other species. The drive will take us along
the rushing Urubamba River (called Vilcanota at its upper
reaches), where we could see Torrent Ducks and perhaps
the local Spot-winged Pigeon.
Following some early morning birding around Urubamba,
we'll catch the late morning train to Machu Picchu. Located
on a high ridge, this most famous and spectacular archeological
site is surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs that
fall away to the river far below. We will spend the afternoon
and time tomorrow, as well, exploring the ruins of Machu
Picchu, along with the various birding options nearby.
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Birding
the Cloud Forest
Our Manu Part 1 journey begins in Cuzco, historic city of the
Incas, where we set out on an adventure across the highlands,
passing a quiltwork of often colorful fields and villages and
ever-changing panoramas before eventually descending in steps
down the verdant, eastern wall of the Andes, first through elfin
forest, then cloud forest, and finally rich wet foothill forest
at the conclusion of the trip. Our first destination is the
Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, at about 4,500 feet elevation, and well
situated for mountain birding with Andean Cock-of-the-rocks
displaying nearby, and feeders that attract hummingbirds, barbets,
and tanagers. We also may see Black-and-chestnut Eagles, Torrent
Ducks, motmots, quetzals, and mountain-toucans but, for some,
the high energy bird flocks dominated by unbelievably colorful
tanagers-which are so characteristic of the Andes-will surely
be a highlight.
Three days later we will resume our journey downward into the
bird-rich Andean foothills and, at the end of the day, be met
and ferried across the Alto Madre de Dios River to one of the
Jungle Lodges. You are sure to notice dramatic changes in the
avifauna here as tanager-dominated mixed species flocks of the
highlands give way to a more diverse array of antbirds, furnariids,
flycatchers, manakins, and such exotic species as hoatzins and
macaws. Numerous species here are unique to these wet foothills,
among them the Blue-headed Macaw, Scarlet-hooded Barbet, Chestnut-backed
Antshrike, and Black-backed Tody-Tyrant, and our visit here
is sure to be one filled with exciting wildlife sightings. |
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